"VRI" 2007 Obituary

VRIES o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-07 published
WARD,
Claire▼ (née
HIGGINS)
Died quietly on July 5, 2007 at age 87, the final small transition
in an illness that had diminished her once-sharp mind and weakened
her once-agile body. Her emotional capacity endured longer, allowing
occasional flashes of her essential kindness, sweetness and bravery,
even towards the end. Claire was born in East York in 1919, the
youngest in a family of five children of Thomas Bartholomew William
HIGGINS and Augusta
RYAN, and step-mother Frances
COOK.
Her▼ four
siblings, Tony, Marjorie, Arthur and Ray all predeceased her.
In 1932, the family returned to England and in 1938, Claire married
Arthur WARD.
They▼ were intensely devoted to each other for 65 years
until his death in 2003. They went through the London Blitz together,
each working in civil defense. Then in 1949 they and their daughters
emigrated to Canada where Claire worked with passion and commitment
in a number of helping organizations in Toronto, including many
years with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, and the United Nations Association in Canada. She
also studied for 14 years, mostly in the evenings, to get a B.A.
from the University of Toronto at age 54. Claire and Arthur were
members of Holy Trinity Church, Thornhill and Saint Paul's (Westdale)
in Hamilton. For the family, the sense of missing her began some
years ago but now it is definite. She was "Mum" to Vandra (and
husband Volker
MASEMANN) and Kirsten (and husband Don
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON)
and "Granny" to Charlotte (Erik DE
VRIES,)
Alison▼
(Jeff▼GRAY/GREY,)
Hilary,▼Bronwen,▼Rosemary,▼ Galen (Ratana
EK,) and Taliesin (Coire
LANGHAM.) And we are happy that she was able to spend some time
with her great-grand_sons, Leo, Willem and Felix. Elizabeth
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON
will miss her honourary Granny. Claire will also be missed by
her nephews Peter and Donald
LOGAN and her sister Marjorie's
descendants, and also by her cousin Joyce
SMITH, and special
Friends. We are overwhelmingly grateful for the kind care and
companionship she experienced at New Horizons Tower, her home
for the past five years. The staff there and her morning caregivers
from Para Med have treated her with the kind of respect and gentleness
that she accorded everybody. She was an exceptional person. Memorial
service will be held on July 20, 2007 at 3: 30 p.m., in Dovercourt
Baptist Church at New Horizons, 1140 Bloor Street West at Dufferin.
Instead of flowers, we invite you to make donations to either
United Nations Children's Fund Canada, 2200 Yonge Street, Toronto
M4S 2C6 or to the Wilkie Fund at New Horizons Tower, 1140 Bloor
St. West, Toronto M6H 4E6.
How 2 letter Surnames like EK work in OGSPI

VRIES o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-11 published
WARD,
Claire▲▼ (née
HIGGINS)
Died quietly on July 5, 2007 at age 87, the final small transition
in an illness that had diminished her once-sharp mind and weakened
her once-agile body. Her emotional capacity endured longer, allowing
occasional flashes of her essential kindness, sweetness and bravery,
even towards the end. Claire was born in East York in 1919, the
youngest in a family of five children of Thomas Bartholomew William
HIGGINS and Augusta
RYAN, and step-mother Frances
COOK.
Her▲▼ four
siblings, Tony, Marjorie, Arthur and Ray all predeceased her.
In 1932, the family returned to England and in 1938, Claire married
Arthur WARD.
They▲▼ were intensely devoted to each other for 65 years
until his death in 2003. They went through the London Blitz together,
each working in civil defense. Then in 1949 they and their daughters
emigrated to Canada where Claire worked with passion and commitment
in a number of helping organizations in Toronto, including many
years with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, and the United Nations Association in Canada. She
also studied for 14 years, mostly in the evenings, to get a B.A.
from the University of Toronto at age 54. Claire and Arthur were
members of Holy Trinity Church, Thornhill and Saint Paul's (Westdale)
in Hamilton. For the family, the sense of missing her began some
years ago but now it is definite. She was "Mum" to Vandra (and
husband Volker
MASEMANN) and Kirsten (and husband Don
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON)
and "Granny" to Charlotte (Erik DE
VRIES,)
Alison▲▼
(Jeff▲▼GRAY/GREY,)
Hilary,▲▼Bronwen,▲▼Rosemary,▲▼ Galen (Ratana
EK,) and Taliesin (Coire
LANGHAM.) And we are happy that she was able to spend some time
with her great-grand_sons, Leo, Willem and Felix. Elizabeth
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON
will miss her honourary Granny. Claire will also be missed by
her nephews Peter and Donald
LOGAN and her sister Marjorie's
descendants, and also by her cousin Joyce
SMITH, and special
Friends. We are overwhelmingly grateful for the kind care and
companionship she experienced at New Horizons Tower, her home
for the past five years. The staff there and her morning caregivers
from Para Med have treated her with the kind of respect and gentleness
that she accorded everybody. She was an exceptional person. Memorial
service will be held on July 20, 2007 at 3: 30 p.m., in Dovercourt
Baptist Church at New Horizons, 1140 Bloor Street West at Dufferin.
Instead of flowers, we invite you to make donations to either
United Nations Children's Fund Canada, 2200 Yonge Street, Toronto
M4S 2C6 or to the Wilkie Fund at New Horizons Tower, 1140 Bloor
St. West, Toronto M6H 4E6.
How 2 letter Surnames like EK work in OGSPI

VRIES o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-14 published
WARD,
Claire▲ (née
HIGGINS)
Died quietly on July 5, 2007 at age 87, the final small transition
in an illness that had diminished her once-sharp mind and weakened
her once-agile body. Her emotional capacity endured longer, allowing
occasional flashes of her essential kindness, sweetness and bravery,
even towards the end. Claire was born in East York in 1919, the
youngest in a family of five children of Thomas Bartholomew William
HIGGINS and Augusta
RYAN, and step-mother Frances
COOK.
Her▲ four
siblings, Tony, Marjorie, Arthur and Ray all predeceased her.
In 1932, the family returned to England and in 1938, Claire married
Arthur WARD.
They▲ were intensely devoted to each other for 65 years
until his death in 2003. They went through the London Blitz together,
each working in civil defense. Then in 1949 they and their daughters
emigrated to Canada where Claire worked with passion and commitment
in a number of helping organizations in Toronto, including many
years with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, and the United Nations Association in Canada. She
also studied for 14 years, mostly in the evenings, to get a B.A.
from the University of Toronto at age 54. Claire and Arthur were
members of Holy Trinity Church, Thornhill and Saint Paul's (Westdale)
in Hamilton. For the family, the sense of missing her began some
years ago but now it is definite. She was "Mum" to Vandra (and
husband Volker
MASEMANN) and Kirsten (and husband Don
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON)
and "Granny" to Charlotte (Erik DE
VRIES,)
Alison▲
(Jeff▲GRAY/GREY,)
Hilary,▲Bronwen,▲Rosemary,▲ Galen (Ratana
EK,) and Taliesin (Coire
LANGHAM.) And we are happy that she was able to spend some time
with her great-grand_sons, Leo, Willem and Felix. Elizabeth
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON
will miss her honourary Granny. Claire will also be missed by
her nephews Peter and Donald
LOGAN and her sister Marjorie's
descendants, and also by her cousin Joyce
SMITH, and special
Friends. We are overwhelmingly grateful for the kind care and
companionship she experienced at New Horizons Tower, her home
for the past five years. The staff there and her morning caregivers
from Para Med have treated her with the kind of respect and gentleness
that she accorded everybody. She was an exceptional person. Memorial
service will be held on July 20, 2007 at 3: 30 p.m., in Dovercourt
Baptist Church at New Horizons, 1140 Bloor Street West at Dufferin.
Instead of flowers, we invite you to make donations to either
United Nations Children's Fund Canada, 2200 Yonge Street, Toronto
M4S 2C6 or to the Wilkie Fund at New Horizons Tower, 1140 Bloor
St. West, Toronto M6H 4E6.
How 2 letter Surnames like EK work in OGSPI

VRIES o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-13 published
PURKISS,
AudreyEllen (née
LOWERYSON)
(December 16, 1928-August 10, 2007)
It is with great sadness that the family announces Audrey's death,
suddenly, with her loving husband Chris at her side. Adored mother
of Karen FAIRLEY (Glenn) Toronto, Janet
KINDREE (Paul) Squamish,
British Columbia, Susan (Hamed
UMEDALY) Vancouver and Tim (Lesley)
Coquitlam, British Columbia. Devoted and cherished Gramma to
her eight grandchildren, Sarah and Jill
FAIRLEY,
Jeff,Meghan
and Neal KINDREE,
Aari and Tarek
UMEDALY and Calla
PURKISS. Survived
by brother Bob
LOWERYSON and sisters Shirley
ANDERSON
(Dave)
Bev DE VRIES
(Wim) and Anne
LOWERYSON. Private cremation has
taken place. There will be a celebration of Audrey's life on
Thursday August 16th at St. Dunstan's Anglican Church hall (56 Lawson
Rd., Scarborough) from 1 to 4 p.m. (Memories at 1: 30) In lieu
of flowers, donations to the charity of your choice would be
appreciated.